Spring might not be our favourite season, but if there's one talented chap who can bring forth what an amazing array of gorgeous plants and flowers we can expect to see sprouting all around us as Spring continues, it's Yuval Zommer.

In our Picture Book of the Week this week, "The Big Book of Blooms", Yuval's glorious colourful page spreads and brilliantly written descriptions show off the world's most amazing flowers and plants at their very best, in his own superb style.

This is a lovely book to sprawl on your favourite patch of sun-kissed grass with, not just showing off flowers that are renowned for their beauty, but also describing some of the more interesting (and in some cases REALLY stinky!) plants that we share a planet with.

There are flowers designed to tempt in pollinators, as hard working bees flit from one to the next.

There are pitcher plants, large strangely alien plants that trap flies and slowly digest them (ew!)

There are even gigantic flowers that really pong terribly!

Let's take a look inside at some of the page spreads in this truly wonderful book:

Cherry Blossoms in China and Japan, the most amazing springtime spectacle

Each page spread mixes gorgeous painterly artwork with immersive descriptions of the plants depicted.

Prickly customers indeed. Fabulous cactii!

The book takes us through the seasons, and plants that thrive in amazingly diverse climates and locales across our planet, from the deepest forests, and even in the deserts and snow.

Insects, animals and birds all do their bit as pollinators, keeping our plant life thriving

Sum this book up in a sentence: If you're lucky enough to live near Kew Gardens, or any of the other amazing botanic gardens across the country, or perhaps even live where these plants grow natively, this is a fabulous book to show you our beautiful plant life at its best and another non-fiction winner from Yuval!

"The Big Book of Blooms" by Yuval Zommer is out now, published by Thames and Hudson (kindly supplied for review). 

Day 7 on our Booky Advent Calendar sees a very talented chap turn his hand to his first christmas book, with brilliant results in a timely and atmospheric story about the importance of our forests and wild habitats - but also a fantastic message about being happy with who you are.

"The Tree That's Meant to Be" by Yuval Zommer is a gorgeous Christmas picture book that's destined to become a festive classic.

A little fir tree is too small and too imperfect to be chosen at Christmas time.

But being left alone in the forest brings more rewards than the tree could ever have hoped for.

This is a charming picture book with a heartfelt message about love and embracing what makes us different. 

Once again Yuval Zommer returns to offer us a beautiful and bounteous slice of natural history, this time taking to the wing rather than diving under the sea.

In the truly fabulous "Big Book of Birds" Yuval takes us on a tour of the bird kingdom, and helps little ones answer a million and one questions they may have about our lovely feathered friends.

Why is a flamingo pink? Can a parrot talk? Is a bald eagle really bald?

This follow-up to the hugely successful The Big Book of Bugs, The Big Book of Beasts and The Big Book of the Blue answers these questions and many more. 

Don't eat too many shrimps unless you want to end up beautifully pink!

You don't have to visit tropical climes to see fascinating bird species. Some can be found in your own back garden or local parks!

 Utterly perfect stuff!

We can definitely confirm that parrots are chatty little characters having just come back from staying at a hotel pretty much ruled by one!

We really look forward to each and every one of Barbara Taylor and Yuval Zommer's fantastic "Big Book" series, and our Book of the Week this week is a stunning addition to the collection...

We're huge, huge fans of Yuval Zommer's fabulous story books but he's also a very talented chap when it comes to non fiction titles.

We've previously enjoyed both "The Big Book of Bugs" and "The Big Book of Beasts" by Yuval, and now we're delighted to see a pair of accompanying books for your minibeast and big beast fans to enjoy and get involved with.

"The Big Sticker Book of Bugs" is a huge book full of the sort of delicious little details Yuval is famous for, this time with over 500 reusable stickers to stick down in various scenes and habitats.

Learn all about the insects of the world with this book that encourages children to go on their own investigative journey of the animals we share our living space with (whether we like it or not!)

Absolutely fantastic for Charlotte, who can't seem to resist cuddling woodlice or playing with ladybirds on her fingers.

"The Big Sticker Book of Bugs" by Yuval Zommer is out now, published by Thames and Hudson. 

If you like your beasts a big bigger, perhaps more furry and less inclined to crawl up your trouser leg then this one's for you!

"The Big Sticker Book of Beasts" features altogether larger prey, again with over 500 reusable stickers to place in all their different habitats and homes around the world.

Cuddle up to a Koala or two, stomp around the savannah with an Elephant or perhaps hibernate with some Canadian Grizzlies, there's definitely something for everyone in this fabulous activity book.

The books are of the highest quality, with easy-to-peel stickers throughout, and loads of lovely colour illustrations and opportunities for you to get busy with your own pens and pencils to create your own fun scenes.

"The Big Sticker Book of Beasts" by Yuval Zommer is also out now, published by Thames and Hudson (both books kindly supplied for review). 

Our Picture Book of the Week this week is a zany and chaotic tale with a warm heart. Let's meet Big Brown Bear...

Time for another utterly fantastic wildlife book from fab illustrator Yuval Zommer...no bugs in this one, it's "The Big Book of Beasts"...

Our second Book of the Week poses a rather fascinating question to curious little kids - Do you know what's going on right beneath your feet right now?

Bugs, bugs, bugs! They're not just good for lunch! (What do you mean you don't eat bugs for lunch?) Learn all about them in this fabulous new book from Yuval Zommer and Barbara Taylor...

We love a highly original and adorable doggy tale, particularly when the dog is a bit of a roguish maverick. Meet "Scruff" the star of "One Hundred Bones". Scruff is a stray and although he doesn't have a collar, and his coat is a bit of a mess, Scruff's heart is in the right place and he has tons of doggy friends who think he's wonderful.

Sometimes though, poor Scruff feels a bit lonely so when other dogs are being walked in the park by their owners, Scruff wonders what it must be like to live in a house with an adoring human for company.

Scruff has a particularly keen nose - a nose for sniffing out the tastiest treats and the crunchiest bones, and it's scruff's nose that leads him to an astonishing discovery while out digging in the woods.

Dem bones dem bones dem...BIG bones!

Bones. Lots of bones. In fact way too many bones for Scruff to handle so he's going to need a ton of help from his friends!

As the dogs dig, it soon becomes apparent that these aren't just any ordinary bones, and scruff feels like he's seen something like them before - at the local Natural History Museum! So it's off on a hair-raising run to Kensington to drop in on a palaeontologist to give those bones a thorough checking over (and maybe make a brand new friend in the process too!)

What we loved about this wonderful and original story was Scruff himself. A central character who, despite his plight, is full of joie de vivre and a love of life - and his life-changing discovery sees Scruff come out on top in the end. A real underdog-makes-good story that made us feel all warm and glowy inside. Hooray for Scruff!

Charlotte's best bit: Scruff's friend, the willowy wispy Afghan Hound (we don't see NEARLY enough Afghans any more!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: We loved Scruff, he's a real champ - he might be scruffy and a stray but he's an awesome sniffer and wins the day in the end. What a lovely and original doggy tale!

One Hundred Bones

Written and Illustrated by
Yuval Zommer

Published by Templar Publishing

Release Date: 1st August 2015

(Kindly sent to us for review by Templar Publishing)

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